Shrouded Truths

Several years ago, Don bought me the "Passion of the Christ". When the kids asked the inevitable question, they were told they would have to be "MUCH" older before I would allow them to see it. Last year, I invited Deanna to watch it with me on Good Friday to help her spiritually connect with the meaning of Easter. It was a hard movie for her to watch (which is how most of us feel about it), but it had the desired affect, really impacting her mood on Friday and adding to her joy on Sunday.

Dane asked if he could watch it this year, but I'm still not sure. It's less about age and more about spiritual maturity. I haven't made a decision yet, but, in the meanwhile . . .

The boys and I were snuggling on my bed tonight, having one of our just-before-bed chats when Daelyn mentioned that he had seen Jesus' face. I told him that the Shroud of Turin contained Jesus' image, then had to explain what the Shroud of Turin was.

Both boys were fascinated, so we moved into the Den and plopped down in front of the computer. I Googled the Shroud and page after page of images popped onto the screen. Eventually, I found videos on youtube that were from a T.V. special. It explained this whole thing far better than I ever could. Deanna joined us and we all sat in silence, mesmerized by the images and the science.

During one particularly interesting segment, a scientist explained the blood stains. He went on to show a replica of the instrument used for scourging and matched the pieces perfectly to the wounds visible on the back of the Shroud. Daelyn asked quietly, "Mama, why did they do that to Jesus?"

I realized that, for probably the first time ever, Daelyn was confronted with the wounds Jesus suffered during his Passion. How do you explain to an almost-eight year old something even wisened adults can't quite articulate? I said something like, "No one really knows, honey," and Daelyn continued to watch, seemingly satisfied with my non-answer.

After the children scampered off to bed, I sat at the computer thinking about this experience. Daelyn is FAR too young for "The Passion", but the video on the Shroud may have served the same purpose.

On our way to the Zoo tomorrow (the children are out on Spring Break and I want to do some fun things with them before we reach Good Friday), I want to take advantage of the drive to talk about Christ's passion. Perhaps Daelyn will understand it better, or, at least, it will be more meaningful to him, after having seen the images on the Shroud. I think this is an excellent opportunity to focus my children on the somber, penitential attitude of Lent.

It seems the Lord has provided the perfect opportunity, once again, to aid my children in their spiritual walk. Now if I can just cooperate!